Starvation-Induced Dietary Behaviour in Drosophila melanogaster Larvae and Adults.
Starvation-Induced Dietary Behaviour in Drosophila melanogaster Larvae and Adults.
复制标题
DOI：
10.1038/srep14285
复制
发表时间：
2015-09-24
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
Tariq M
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Ahmad M;Chaudhary SU;Afzal AJ;Tariq M
果蝇幼虫被归类为草食动物，已知在正常条件下以非肉食性食物为食。然而，当营养受到挑战时，这些幼虫会通过食用由较大同种动物组成的食物来表现出同类相食的行为。在此，我们报告果蝇幼虫的同类相食行为不仅限于以较大体型的同种为食，而且还以它们的卵为食。此外，这种同类相食的幼虫的发育与在标准玉米粉培养基上生长的幼虫一样正常。当受到压力时，果蝇幼虫也可以食用来自不同分类群的生物体尸体的肉食性食物，包括家蝇、蜜蜂和狼科动物。虽然成虫没有足够的能力来吞噬同种动物的尸体，但它们会选择性地在这些尸体上产卵，并且也会吃掉受损的同种动物尸体。因此，我们的结果表明，营养紧张的果蝇表现出独特且不寻常的摄食行为，可分为碎食性、同类相食和/或肉食性。
Drosophila melanogaster larvae are classified as herbivores and known to feed on non-carnivorous diet under normal conditions. However, when nutritionally challenged these larvae exhibit cannibalistic behaviour by consuming a diet composed of larger conspecifics. Herein, we report that cannibalism in Drosophila larvae is confined not only to scavenging on conspecifics that are larger in size, but also on their eggs. Moreover, such cannibalistic larvae develop as normally as those grown on standard cornmeal medium. When stressed, Drosophila melanogaster larvae can also consume a carnivorous diet derived from carcasses of organisms belonging to diverse taxonomic groups, including Musca domestica, Apis mellifera, and Lycosidae sp. While adults are ill-equipped to devour conspecific carcasses, they selectively oviposit on them and also consume damaged cadavers of conspecifics. Thus, our results suggest that nutritionally stressed Drosophila show distinct as well as unusual feeding behaviours that can be classified as detritivorous, cannibalistic and/or carnivorous.